Next to the airliners is a building holding the London Bus Museum. Parked outside is a Green Line ‘RF’ – very much part of my childhood!
But horse buses were well before my time. These old buses are still operational, and occasionally go to events, with real horses on the front. One of the drivers in the museum said that they ride surprisingly well and comfortably.
The ‘S’ class were just an updated version of the classic WW1 ‘B’ class.
The ‘STL’ class were the first ‘modern’ LT bus, having features common with subsequent classes through to the ‘RM’s.
The Guy built ‘GS’ class are one of my favourites. A number of these little buses operated the one-man routes from Orpington station in my early teens.
The ‘T’ class. Really a single deck STL. I think that half-cab single-decker’s always look classy.
The prototype ‘RT’ class, RT1, built pre-WW2, but the first of nearly 5,000 similar buses that were the mainstay of London Transport post-war.
A WW2 vintage Guy ‘G’ class utility bus.
An ‘RTL’, the slightly stretched ‘RT’.
A standard London trolleybus.
Trolley bus and central London red ‘RF’.
Another favourite, an ‘RLH’, an ‘RT’ with a lowered roof to get under low bridges. I started chatting to one of the attendants, who let us on the bus for a look around and upstairs. This was one thing I appreciated in all parts of the whole Brooklands museum. It was full of enthusiasts – ex bus-drivers, pilots and sometimes just enthusiasts, who wanted to go out of their way to explain their part of the museum.
An ‘RM’ and two more unusual single-deckers – a ‘Q’ class, and a BEA coach that used to run from Victoria Coach Station out to Heathrow.
And finally, a mobile canteen, for LT staff. It was withdrawn in the early 1950’s, so probably dated from WW2, where catering facilities suffered bomb damage, or bus routes had to be changed. This would make a good model in any scale.
Can’t get the staff, though…..
Overall, an excellent few hours and a very interesting museum. We had a basic lunch, that was a bit expensive, but very adequate. I’d like to go back in a couple of years time to see what is new and pick up on the bits that we missed on this visit.
esngblog 